The Scouts suffered another defeat Thursday night, and the contributing factors were once again set pieces and missed chances; for the third time in four games the Scouts were shut out. While the Scouts were unable to convert on their opportunities, the Bears used a late onslaught of pressure to cruise to a 4-0 victory.
Three of the four goals scored by Lake Zurich were off set pieces or corners.
For the first half, the stats sheet illustrated almost an even tie between the Bears and Scouts. Both teams had the ball 50 percent of the time and had completed 53 percent of their passes. The only difference in the stat line was the Bears’ eight shots to the Scouts’ three.
Junior midfielder Oliver Akintade had a chance to put the Scouts up 1-0 when he stepped up to take a penalty kick in the 11th minute, but unfortunately for the Scouts, the Lake Zurich keeper guessed right and was able to deflect the shot away from the goal and out for a corner.
In the second half, the Scouts wavered on defense, and the Bears made them pay. In the 55th minute, Lake Zurich was able to capitalize on a corner kick. Just five minutes later, they followed their first goal up with a second when junior goalkeeper John Walsh made a rare mistake and let a shot pass through his hands. The Bears also tacked on two more goals in the 61st and the 77th minutes.
The Scouts refused to go down without a fight, however, as both senior forward Kean O’Connor and junior forward Nico De Filippis had shots on goal. Senior forward Alan Cecherz and senior midfielder Bryan Cecherz both received yellow cards for their passion in working to earn the win.
“It was a great effort,” Head Coach Rob Parry said after the game. “We didn’t deserve to lose it with that score line.”
The Scouts return home on Saturday to play the Glenbrook South Titans at noon.
Stat of the Day: The Scouts possessed the ball for 32 minutes and 10 seconds today, 51 percent of the time the ball was in play. The Scouts have now had the majority of the possession in every game they’ve played except against Mundelein, Lakes, and Round Lake.
